Marble Cheesecake Brownie Bites

When it comes to dessert, I’m definitely a chocolate kind of girl. Marrying cheesecake with chocolate makes me weak in the knees. Marbled cheesecake brownies are a combo I’m powerless to resist: rich chocolate, creamy cheesecake, and pretty to boot. I hope to host a mother-daughter cookie exchange soon (if such an event is deemed cool by my tween), and these marbled cheesecake brownie bites from the M&Ms Bright Ideas website are a serious contender.

The recipe I’m sharing below is pulled straight from the Bright Ideas website, and uses brownie mix as the base. By all means feel free to substitute your favorite homemade brownie! But this recipe does give you a great balance of cakey brownie blended with creamy cheesecake, without the need for experimentation.

This is also a great recipe to make as a family with the kids. They’ll love letting their artist loose while making the marbled pattern. And who doesn’t love art that also tastes good? Finish up the masterpiece with a few carefully positioned M&Ms, either in festive red and green, or with the full palette of M&Ms colors. Baking art is my favorite form of self expression: the kind you get to eat in the end.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of MARS®. The opinions and text are all mine. Holiday’s are better with M. Go to Brightideas.com for recipes using M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies Holiday Blend. Click. Create. Celebrate.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar. Add the egg, milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions. Spoon ⅔ of the brownie batter into a parchment-lined 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Spoon the reserved cream cheese mixture over the brownie batter. Now scrape the remaining brownie batter over the cream cheese mixture. Swirl the tip of a knife through the batter to make a marbled effect. Press M&M’S® Brand Chocolate Candies into the batter.

Bake for 45-50 minutes in a preheated, 350-degree oven until slightly moist in the center. Cool completely before cutting 8x4 into 1½-inch squares.